UNESCO Launches New Restoration Projects in Beirut Following the 2020 Explosion

"A blast destroyed 40% of the city of Beirut on August 4, 2020. Five years after the port explosions, the UNESCO Director-General visited Lebanon to assess the institution's work in the capital city. UNESCO's efforts have been based on the recognition that the explosion destroyed numerous buildings and historic neighborhoods that were home to a community of cultural professionals, leaving a void in the city's cultural landscape and economy."

"The new project covers three locations. The visit marked the start of the renovation of the Mar Mikhael train station, an iconic site of over 10,000 m² that once connected three continents. Currently in ruins, it is set to be transformed by UNESCO and UN-Habitat into a cultural and public space for the residents of Beirut, scheduled to open in 2027. Another emblematic landmark, Beirut's Grand Theatre, which has been closed since 1990 and further damaged in 2020, is set to undergo an extensive restoration."

On August 4, 2020 a blast destroyed 40% of Beirut, damaging buildings, historic neighborhoods, and the community of cultural professionals. UNESCO mobilized international efforts to restore, reactivate, and safeguard heritage buildings, schools, museums, and cultural institutions and launched the LiBeirut initiative to raise reconstruction funds. New projects include renovation of the Mar Mikhael train station into a public cultural space by 2027, extensive restoration and stabilization of Beirut's Grand Theatre with a cultural program developed with authorities and civil society, and funding for seven artistic and craft projects in the World Heritage Phoenician cities of Tyre and Baalbek.

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